Posthumous Awards for Students Procedure

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Delegated Authority / Collaborators:

Katie Grocki, Registrar

Tina Berry, Associate Registrar for Graduation and Records

Mariana Santamaria, Assistant Director of CEWD Operations

Zach Roberson, Associate Vice President for Student Engagement and Wellness

Definitions for the Purpose of this Procedure

“College community” refers to trustees, students, and all employees of the College as well as any independent contractors or other third parties to the extent articulated under contractual agreements.

“Enrolled Student” refers to an individual who is registered at the College, either full or part time, in a credit or continuing education class or classes, who has either paid or made arrangements for payment of tuition and/or fees, and whose participation in a class has been verified.

“Program” refers to a structured and coherent course of study with clearly defined objectives and intended student learning outcomes, requiring the completion of a specified number of course credits or contact hours from among a prescribed group of courses, which leads to the award of a certificate or degree.

“Student” refers to an individual who is registered at the College, either full or part-time, in a credit or continuing education class or classes who has either paid or made payment arrangements for tuition and/or fees.

Procedure

Recommendation Process and Approval

Any member of the College community or family of the deceased may recommend a student who meets the policy criteria for awarding a posthumous degree, certificate, or special recognition award. If the request for consideration is initiated by someone who is not a member of the family of the deceased, the Associate Vice President for Student Engagement and Wellness must obtain written approval of the request for consideration by the student’s family. The request for consideration of the posthumous degree, certificate, or special recognition must be submitted to the AVP for Student Engagement and Wellness within twelve months of the student’s death.

The request for recognition will be submitted by the AVP for Student Engagement and Wellness to the Registrar or their designee who will first verify the death of the student, their enrollment status, and academic standing at the time of death. Once this information has been verified, the AVP will oversee the review process and coordination of necessary approvals for consideration of awarding the degree, certificate, or special recognition award as appropriate.

Conferral and Presentation of a Degree, Certificate, or Special Recognition Award

A posthumous degree or certificate will customarily be conferred at the next scheduled commencement ceremony and presented to a member of the student’s family or their representative for a credit credential. Credentials offered through Continuing Education and Workforce Development will be conferred at the next CEWD program specific ceremony, when applicable. Families who choose to attend commencement will be assigned reserved seating. The commencement program will note that the degree or certificate was presented posthumously. Any graduation fees will be waived.

The special recognition award will customarily be presented at the College Annual Student Leadership Recognition and Awards Ceremony and presented to a member of the student’s family or their representative. Families who choose to attend the College’s Annual Student Leadership Recognition and Awards Ceremony will be assigned reserved seating.

The posthumous degree, certificate, or special recognition award may also be presented by a college official to the family in a private gathering.

Administrative Procedures

The AVP for Student Engagement and Wellness, or their designee:

• Verifies that the criteria for granting a posthumous degree, certificate, or special recognition award have been met.
• Oversees the progress of the approval of the degree, certificate, or special recognition award in collaboration with the Registrar.
• Confirms final approval of the degree, certificate, or special recognition award with the President’s Office.
• Makes arrangements with the family for the presentation of the degree, certificate, or special recognition award.

The Registrar, or their designee:

• Ensures that the student meets all program requirements as published in the applicable academic catalog.

Posts the conferral of the posthumous degree or certificate to the student’s transcript and orders a diploma. The statement “awarded posthumously” will be printed on the student’s transcript, but not on the diploma. If the student who is deceased already applied for graduation and had completed all program requirements, the conferral of the degree or certificate will not include the posthumous designation on the transcript.